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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xu felt that this new semester was truly terrible. After a cold war with her, He Miao quickly became close with several lively girls in the class, laughing and chatting together every day, presenting themselves as if they were "the best of friends." Meanwhile, Lin Xu reverted back to being the solitary "ghost" she once was.
What suffocated Lin Xu even more was that He Miao seemed not content with merely ignoring her. She began to target Lin Xu, making pointed remarks during class. "Oh, some people just love to act aloof, thinking they're so special," she would suddenly exclaim. After class, she would laugh loudly with her new friends, intentionally brushing past Lin Xu and then "accidentally" bumping into her, exaggeratingly saying, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I didn't see there was someone here."
Lin Xu kept her head down, silently enduring it all. She had thought about fighting back, but what could she do? He Miao was now the "popular girl" in class, always surrounded by a crowd, while she stood alone, weak and isolated.
That noon, Lin Xu went to the cafeteria to get lunch. While waiting in line, she felt someone tap her shoulder. Turning around, she saw it was He Miao.
"Lin Xu, can you do me a favor?" He Miao asked with a smile.
Lin Xu's heart tightened; she had a bad feeling about this. "What favor?" she asked cautiously.
"Oh, it's nothing serious," He Miao said as she pulled a box of yogurt from her pocket. "I can't finish this yogurt; can you throw it away for me?"
Before Lin Xu could react, He Miao shoved the yogurt into her hands and turned to leave.
Holding the box of yogurt, Lin Xu felt a wave of irritation wash over her. Just as she was about to toss it into the trash can, a sudden exclamation came from behind her.
"Ah! My uniform!"
Lin Xu turned sharply to see He Miao clutching her uniform, looking horrified as she stared at Lin Xu.
"Lin Xu, what are you doing?!" He Miao screamed. "Why did you spill yogurt on me?!"
Lin Xu froze, glancing at the yogurt in her hands and then at the white stain on He Miao's uniform. For a moment, she didn't know how to explain herself.
"I... I didn't..." she stammered.
"You’re still denying it!" Tears suddenly streamed down He Miao's face. "You did it on purpose! You're jealous that I'm having fun with them, so you're getting back at me!"
Classmates gathered around them, pointing fingers at Lin Xu. She felt utterly helpless and trapped in a giant pit from which there was no escape.
"I really didn't..." she said helplessly.
"Enough!" The teacher's voice suddenly rang out. "What are you all doing here? Get back to class!"
The teacher walked up to Lin Xu and He Miao, frowning as she asked, "What happened?"
He Miao sobbed as she recounted the events, of course embellishing the story and placing all the blame on Lin Xu.
Lin Xu wanted to explain, but the teacher didn't give her a chance.
"Lin Xu, what's wrong with you?" the teacher said sternly. "He Miao is your deskmate; you should be helping each other. How could you do something like this?"
"Teacher, I really didn't..." Lin Xu's voice trembled with tears.
"Enough, stop talking!" The teacher interrupted impatiently. "I've noticed your recent Academic Affairs Office performance has been poor. Are you under too much pressure? How about this: I'll talk to the Grade Leader and have you change seats and dorms. A change of environment might help."
Lin Xu's heart sank. She hadn't expected the teacher to be so biased in favor of He Miao. She knew the teacher's actions were simply because He Miao came from a wealthy family, while she was just a child from an ordinary household.
"Teacher, I don't want to change seats or dorms..." Lin Xu choked out.
"This is for your own good!" The teacher's tone left no room for argument. "Alright, it's settled. Go back and pack your things."
Lin Xu returned to the classroom in a daze, feeling as if she had been abandoned by the entire world. She silently packed her belongings, tears streaming down her face.
"Lin Xu, are you okay?" A voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.
Lin Xu looked up to see the Study Monitor from her class.
"I'm fine..." she forced a smile.
"Don't be sad," the Study Monitor comforted her. "He Miao is just like that; just ignore her."
Lin Xu nodded but felt even worse inside. She knew that even if she changed seats and dorms, He Miao wouldn't let her off easily.
In the afternoon, the teacher called He Miao into the office.
Lin Xu sat alone in the classroom, staring blankly out of the window.
After a long time, He Miao returned. She walked up to Lin Xu with a smug smile on her face.
"Lin Xu, I'm sorry," she said. "I just talked to the teacher and realized I shouldn't have been so impulsive; I shouldn't have wronged you."
Lin Xu looked at He Miao's hypocritical face and felt a wave of disgust wash over her.
"Do you really know you were wrong?" she asked coldly.
"Of course," He Miao replied earnestly, "We're still good friends, right?"
Lin Xu said nothing, turning her head away, unwilling to look at He Miao's nauseating face any longer.
Feeling disheartened, He Miao returned to her seat. Lin Xu knew that He Miao's apology was merely for show. She was completely unaware of her own mistakes; she was just afraid that the teacher would actually punish her.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Lin Xu overheard He Miao speaking ill of her to other classmates.
"Did you know? Lin Xu is actually really insidious," He Miao whispered, lowering her voice. "She seems honest on the surface, but she's really quite wicked inside! She's just jealous that I get along well with you all, so she's deliberately trying to pick a fight!"
"Really? I can't see it!" a girl exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course it's true!" He Miao asserted confidently. "I've been sitting next to her for so long; how could I not understand her? You all better be careful not to be fooled by her appearance!"
Listening to these rumors felt like needles piercing Lin Xu's heart. She didn't understand what she had done wrong to deserve such treatment.
That night, Lin Xu lay in bed in the dormitory, tossing and turning unable to sleep. She recalled the events of the day, and tears streamed down her face once again.
Suddenly, she heard someone talking. Listening closely, she recognized it was He Miao's voice.
"Did you know? Lin Xu's parents have actually been divorced for a long time," He Miao said gleefully. "She’s been living with her mom, who is just a country bumpkin—uneducated and lacking manners. No wonder Lin Xu is so uncultured!"
"Is that true? She never mentioned it!" one roommate asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true!" He Miao replied smugly. "I heard it from my mom; she knows Lin Xu's mom. Her mom told mine directly!"
Lin Xu could no longer hold back; she sat up abruptly and shouted at He Miao, "Shut up!"
He Miao was taken aback, not expecting Lin Xu to explode like this.
"What... what are you doing?" she stammered.
"Stop spreading rumors!" Lin Xu's voice trembled. "What my parents do has nothing to do with you! How dare you say such things about them?"
"I... I didn't spread rumors..." He Miao said weakly, feeling guilty. "I was just speaking the truth."
"You shut your mouth!" Lin Xu completely lost control of her emotions. "You liar! You're not even human!"
With that, Lin Xu ran out of the dormitory in tears.
She didn’t know where she was going; she just wanted to escape this suffocating place. Wandering aimlessly around the campus, tears blurred her vision.
Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name.
“Lin Xu!”
She looked up to see Ye Feng.
“Ye Feng…” Lin Xu choked out, “What are you doing here?”
“I called you, but you didn’t answer,” Ye Feng said. “I was worried about you, so I came to check on you.”
Lin Xu could no longer control her emotions; she threw herself into Ye Feng’s arms and cried loudly.
“Ye Feng, I feel so terrible…” she sobbed. “I don’t know what to do…”
Ye Feng gently patted her back, comforting her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here.”
Lin Xu told Ye Feng about what had happened during the day, but she concealed the truth about He Miao’s actions against her. She didn’t want Ye Feng to worry about her or to know how weak she truly felt.
“Ye Feng, do you think I’m useless?” Lin Xu asked through her tears. “Am I really annoying?”
“Fool, how could you think that?” Ye Feng said softly. “You’re wonderful; you’re the kindest and strongest girl I’ve ever met.”
“But… but no one likes me…” Lin Xu’s voice was filled with despair. “They all hate me…”
“Who said that?” Ye Feng’s tone suddenly turned serious. “I won’t allow you to say such things about yourself!”
He cupped Lin Xu’s face and said earnestly, “Lin Xu, listen carefully: you haven’t done anything wrong. You don’t need to change for anyone. You are you—unique and irreplaceable. You don’t need others’ approval; just be yourself.”
Looking into Ye Feng’s sincere eyes, a warm feeling surged within Lin Xu.
“Ye Feng, thank you,” she said. “Thank you for always being there for me.”
“Fool, why are you being so polite with me?” Ye Feng smiled. “By the way, do you have a lot of questions in physics? I can help you with it.”
“But… it’s already quite late…” Lin Xu hesitated.
“It’s okay,” Ye Feng said. “Let’s go to the Study Room; it’s quiet there and perfect for studying.”
Lin Xu nodded and followed Ye Feng to the Study Room. Ye Feng patiently explained the physics problems to Lin Xu, his voice gentle and magnetic, like a clear spring nourishing Lin Xu’s parched heart.
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